A phase 2 basket study of talabostat, a small-molecule inhibitor of dipeptidyl peptidases, administered in combination with pembrolizumab in patients with advanced solid cancers.

Background: Talabostat, an oral small molecule inhibitor of dipeptidyl peptidases (DPP4 and DPP8/9), has shown synergistic activity with immune checkpoint inhibitors in preclinical studies. This open label, phase 2 basket trial assessed the antitumor activity of combining talabostat and pembrolizumab (anti-programmed death-1 antibody) in advanced solid tumor patients.

Methods: The primary objective was assessment of dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) rates in the first six patients (lead-in stage) and response rate (efficacy stage; included cohort A [checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) naive] and cohort B [ICI pretreated]) for the study treatment using the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) v1.

Phase I study of BMS-986299, an NLRP3 agonist, as monotherapy and in combination with nivolumab and ipilimumab in patients with advanced solid tumors.

Purpose: BMS-986299 is a first-in-class, NOD-, LRR-, and pyrin-domain containing-3 (NLRP3) inflammasome agonist enhancing adaptive immune and T-cell memory responses.

Materials And Methods: This was a phase-I (NCT03444753) study that assessed the safety and tolerability of intra-tumoral BMS-986299 monotherapy (part 1A) and in combination (part 1B) with nivolumab, and ipilimumab in advanced solid tumors. Reported here are single-center results.

Safety and Efficacy of Toripalimab in Patients with Cholangiocarcinoma: An Open-Label, Phase 1 Study.

Introduction: This was the first phase 1 study conducted in the United States. It consisted of dose-escalation (part A) and multiple indication-specific cohort expansion (part B), investigating the safety and preliminary efficacy of toripalimab (anti-programmed cell death-1 inhibitor) in patients with advanced malignancies.

Methods: Patients with advanced malignancies that progressed after treatment with at least one prior line of standard systemic therapy, including the patients with advanced/recurrent cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), received toripalimab 240 mg every 3 weeks in part B.

Examining pharmacoepidemiology of antibiotic use and resistance in first-line antibiotics: a self-controlled case series study of in small companion animals.

Background: Clinicians need to prescribe antibiotics in a way that adequately treats infections, while simultaneously limiting the development of antibiotic resistance (ABR). Although there are abundant guidelines on how to best treat infections, there is less understanding of how treatment durations and antibiotic types influence the development of ABR. This study adopts a self-controlled case study (SCCS) method to relate antibiotic exposure time to subsequent changes in resistance patterns.

Prognostic factors of the survival of pancreatic cancer patients in peninsular Malaysia: A survival analysis.

Introduction: Pancreatic cancer incidence in Malaysia is steadily on the rise, now ranking as the 14th most common malignancy in the country. Despite this upward trend, research on prognostic factors affecting pancreatic cancer survival remains limited, highlighting the need for ongoing investigation to improve patient survival outcomes.

Materials And Methods: This study was conducted retrospectively by reviewing records of pancreatic cancer patients hospitalized between January 2011 and December 2018 across multiple health centres in Malaysia.

A phase I study of temsirolimus in combination with metformin in patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer.

Introduction: Molecular alterations in the PI3K/AKT and Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK pathways are frequently observed in patients with endometrial cancers. However, mTOR inhibitors, such as temsirolimus, have modest clinical benefits. In addition to inducing metabolic changes in cells, metformin activates AMPK, which in turn inhibits the mTOR pathway.

A Multi-Institutional Study Regarding the Perceptions of Students and Faculty Members About Constructive Feedback for Medical Students in Medical Education.

Background: Feedback is defined as the regular mechanism where the effect of an action is to modify and improve the future action. Feedback is essential for developing students' competencies and their future work as professionals. The attention of feedback shifted from teachers' feedback techniques to learners' goals, acceptance, and assimilation of feedback and impact-focused approaches.

Enhance fashion classification of mosquito vector species via self-supervised vision transformer.

Vector-borne diseases pose a major worldwide health concern, impacting more than 1 billion people globally. Among various blood-feeding arthropods, mosquitoes stand out as the primary carriers of diseases significant in both medical and veterinary fields. Hence, comprehending their distinct role fulfilled by different mosquito types is crucial for efficiently addressing and enhancing control measures against mosquito-transmitted diseases.

Maternal Transmission of Rotavirus to Calves and Comparison of Colostrum and Fecal Microbiota in Holstein and Hanwoo Cattle.

This study aimed to evaluate rotavirus transmission to calves and analyze microbial communities in cow milk and neonatal calf feces within dairy and beef cattle. A total of 20 cattle, Hanwoo ( = 10), and Holstein ( = 10) were allotted for the study, with each breed comprising five cows and five calves. Colostrum samples were obtained from the dam, while feces were obtained from both the dam and calf.

A Novel Crosslinking Approach for Biomanufacturing of a Collagen-Based Skin Dermal Template.

Third-degree burns result in extensive damage to the skin's epidermal and dermal layers, with limited treatment options available. Currently, xenogeneic collagen-based skin grafts are used as scaffolds to integrate into the wound bed and provide a template for neodermis formation. Existing commercial products like Integra dermal templates rely on a time-consuming and variable dehydrothermal (DHT) crosslinking process.

Bacteriophage treatment is effective against carbapenem-resistant (KPC) in a neutropenic murine model of gastrointestinal translocation and renal infection.

Carbapenemase-producing (KPC) are globally emerging pathogens that cause life-threatening infections. Novel treatment alternatives are urgently needed. We therefore investigated the effectiveness of three novel bacteriophages (Spivey, Pharr, and Soft) in a neutropenic murine model of KPC gastrointestinal colonization, translocation, and disseminated infection.

Complement C3d enables cell-mediated immunity capable of distinguishing spontaneously transformed from nontransformed cells.

Immune surveillance depends in part on the recognition of peptide variants by T cell antigen receptors. Given that both normal B cells and malignant B cells accumulate mutations we chose a murine model of multiple myeloma to test conditions to induce cell-mediated immunity targeting malignant plasma cell (PC) clones but sparing of normal PCs. Revealing a previously unknown function for intracellular C3d, we found that C3d engaged T cell responses against malignant PC in the bone marrow of mice that had developed multiple myeloma spontaneously.

Unveiling surfactant protein-A dynamics in human fetal lung development: histological and immunohistochemical insights from Myanmar.

Background: Surfactant protein-A (SP-A) is the most prevalent protein in the pulmonary surfactant system and it is expressed in Type II alveolar epithelial cells.

Materials And Methods: We evaluated SP-A expression in 92 fetal human lungs at various gestational ages in Myanmar (Burma) using hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemical assays.

Results: We detected tubular structures in the fetal lungs during the canalicular stage of development at gestational weeks 22-25.

Biomechanics and ontogeny of gliding in wingless stick insect nymphs (Extatosoma tiaratum).

Many wingless arboreal arthropods can glide back to tree trunks following free falls. However, little is known about the behaviors and aerodynamics underlying such aerial performance, and how this may be influenced by body size. Here, we studied gliding performance by nymphs of the stick insect Extatosoma tiaratum, focusing on the dynamics of J-shaped trajectories and how gliding capability changes during ontogeny.

The Frequency and Incidence of QT Prolongation with Extended Use of Bedaquiline or Delamanid in a Large, Multi-Country MDR/RR-TB Cohort.

Background: The 2022 WHO guidelines on multi-drug/rifampicin resistant tuberculosis (MDR/RR-TB) recommend six months of bedaquiline (Bdq) in the all-oral 9-month shorter regimen and six months or longer for Bdq and delamanid (Dlm) in the 18-20-month longer regimen. However, lack of evidence on extended treatment using Bdq or Dlm has limited their use to six months. We examine the frequency and incidence of QT prolongation based on duration of Bdq and/or Dlm use in longer regimens.

Comprehensive humoral and cellular immune responses to COVID-19 vaccination in adults with cancer.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted people with cancer. Initial vaccine studies excluded patients with malignancy. Immunocompromised individuals remain vulnerable to SARS-CoV-2, necessitating detailed understanding of vaccine response.

The relationship between the use of screen-based devices and self-reported sleep quality in adolescents aged 13-19 years in Brunei.

Background: The widespread use of digital devices among adolescents has raised concerns about the potential impact of screen time on sleep quality. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between screen time and self-reported sleep quality in adolescents.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on adolescents (13- to 19-year-olds) using multi-stage cluster sampling with probability proportional to the size of public schools.

Phase I dose escalation study of IO-108, an anti-LILRB2 antibody, in patients with advanced solid tumors.

Purpose: In this first-in-human dose escalation study, the safety and efficacy of IO-108, a fully human monoclonal antibody targeting leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptor B2 (LILRB2), was investigated in patients with advanced solid tumors as monotherapy and in combination with pembrolizumab, an anti-programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) antibody.

Methods: The study included patients with histologically or cytologically confirmed advanced and relapsed solid tumors, with measurable disease by Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors (RECIST) V.1.

Aromatase inhibitors and fracture prevention - do 2017 guidelines work in real world?

Objectives: Aromatase inhibitor induced bone loss (AIBL) is a recognised adverse event with resultant increase in fracture risk. We aimed to determine the real-world impact of the 2017 consensus guidelines on AIBL and see if it is effective in fracture prevention.

Methods: Over a 7-year study period, 1001 women prescribed AI were split in two groups.

Community engagement to develop a dialogue-drama on adolescent pregnancy in a marginalised migrant population on the Thailand-Myanmar border: an ethnographic approach to participatory action research.

Background: Communities in which adolescent pregnancy and safe abortion care are taboo may benefit from culturally appropriate information, education, and communication.

Objective: This ethnographic and participatory action research (PAR) elicited community members' perceptions to adolescent pregnancy: which then informed dialogue-drama development in Burmese and Karen language for undocumented migrants on the Thailand-Myanmar border.

Methods: PAR was conducted in Karen and Burmese language.

Enhancing mosquito classification through self-supervised learning.

Traditional mosquito identification methods, relied on microscopic observation and morphological characteristics, often require significant expertise and experience, which can limit their effectiveness. This study introduces a self-supervised learning-based image classification model using the Bootstrap Your Own Latent (BYOL) algorithm, designed to enhance mosquito species identification efficiently. The BYOL algorithm offers a key advantage by eliminating the need for labeled data during pretraining, as it autonomously learns important features.

Cytokine levels in the severity of falciparum malaria: An umbrella review.

This study aimed to synthesise evidence comparing the levels of cytokines in severe falciparum malaria with those in uncomplicated malaria from available systematic reviews and meta- analyses. Relevant individual meta-analyses were searched in PubMed, Ovid, and Google Scholar, following the selection criteria specified for this umbrella review. The AMSTAR-2 tool was applied to grade the quality of the meta-analyses identified.